Camera based surveillance systems are being used more frequently for a variety of applications including public site security, private site security, infrastructure security, traffic management, border monitoring, and crime investigation. For a potential deployment at a site of interest, a potential customer typically needs to evaluate alternatives and construct a plan for surveillance. Constructing a surveillance plan can be a time consuming and complicated process as a user needs to consider: the layout of the site of interest, how many and which type of cameras to use, where to situate cameras, and how to set up and orient the cameras.
In view of the above, it would be beneficial if there was a user friendly automated integration tool for planning a surveillance site. It would be beneficial if such automated tool were integrated to be compatible with available Internet based maps. It would also be beneficial if such an automated integration tool included features allowing a user to quickly construct alternative surveillance plans identifying user inserted camera locations and corresponding surveillance coverage areas. A surveillance system provider which made available such an integration tool to its potential customers could have a competitive advantage in marketing and/or selling its surveillance systems.